​Front Roll better

This one is for those of you that know how to do basic front roll but want to take it to the next level. This is going to be a shorter one, but we'll cover a lot of ground.

So first things first: you should know how to do a basic front roll. This can be with a sent jump or with the load and pop method. Once you are airborne, look over your back shoulder and pull your front knee into your chest. As you come around for the roll, pay attention to the axis of your rotation. Are you doing more of a flat 360 spin under your bar? Or are you doing more of the off-axis variety where your legs come up behind you?

Chances are you've been habitually doing the same front roll for a long time. Once you're aware of how you roll, try to change up the axis of rotation. Can you swing your hips more into the air? Can you do it with one hand? Spend a whole session devoted to mixing it up and trying new movement patterns.

Rolling with one hand

Practice rolling with one hand as much as possible and start bringing your board closer to you. When it comes to adding grabs, don't reach for the board. Bring the board up to your core. Taking your front hand off and getting your legs tucked in will actually improve your roll immediately. The front hand left on the bar will redirect the kite forward for a more powered landing, and getting smaller always makes things easier and more fluid.

Try tweaking your legs. This is as simple as bringing one leg into your chest and poking the other one out. Don't worry about making grabs right away. Simply practice reaching and tweaking until you start getting it.

Poke that front leg out to make this look good

Two of my favorite variations

Inverted Tail Grab

The inverted tail grab is a really stylish way to spice up this fundamental move. Once you pop off the water, throw your head slightly back and swing your hips up into the air. Bring your lead hip and leg up fast while tucking your back leg in tight. It helps to point your front leg straight up into the sky. Reach down with your back hand and grab the tail right in the center. Poke the board up and try to hold on for the entire rotation. As you come out of the roll, you can let go of the grab or hold it as long as possible. The longer the better. As you land, you should be lined up for a perfect powered downwind landing.

Tuck your knees fast and hard to backflip mid-roll

Front Roll Back Flip Indy Grab

I'm not sure what to call this one. You are essentially doing a front roll and halfway through you huck a backflip with an indy grab. The key is to get comfortable with the inverted front roll tail grab first. The main difference is once you start the front roll, you need to throw your head back right downwind and tuck both of your knees into your chest. This will cause you to flip around fast in the middle of the roll. You will naturally unwind and be lined up for a clean downwind landing on this one. The idea might sound tricky but it's actually really easy and a fun variation of this simple trick.

Ryan (Rygo) Goloversic

Many people dream of quitting their job, traveling the world and pursuing their passions. Rygo is one of those people who pulled the trigger. A few years into his career, he decided to change everything and travel as a kiteboarder, freelance videographer & writer. His mission is to share the stoke & help people put the boarding into their kiteboarding. Get outside and kite!

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Producer of: Ride with Blake I Sessions I Versus I Destinations I Foil Fridays